Once again, the New York Knicks showed fight against a superior team, but didn’t play well enough in the fourth quarter to win.

The New York Knicks dropped their 10th straight game which is their 18th loss in their last 19 games. They still have only one a single game in January after finishing December with two measly victories.

The last couple months of the season have been brutal. The Knicks are inexperienced and they have a hard time sustaining consistent play for a full game. Sometimes they falter in the first quarter and dig a huge hole for themselves. Other times, the team fails to come out of halftime strong and get their doors blown off in the third quarter.

Monday night was emblematic of their struggles in the final frame. The Knicks hung tough for the first three quarters and entered the fourth quarter all tied up. Unfortunately, a barrage of threes allowed the Charlotte Hornets to open up a double-digit lead.

From that point, it looked like there was no coming back for the young Knicks. Charlotte’s offensive attack was incredibly balanced. Six Hornets finished in double figures, but no player scored more than 15. All-Star starter Kemba Walker made some big plays in the fourth quarter and Malik Monk got hot from deep.

For the Knickerbockers, Kevin Knox was a definite positive to take away from this game. The rookie has been struggling of late, but he responded with an efficient performance. The University of Kentucky product finished with a game-high 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting from the floor and 3-for-4 from deep.

Mitchell Robinson also showed some of those flashes of insane athleticism. He blocked three shots and finished with 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting. He’s still a project who is still trying to figure out how to utilize his insane athleticism.

Additionally, Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and four assists. It’s unclear whether or not Hardaway will be a Knick past the trade deadline. But if any teams are wondering if he can contribute as a scoring wing, Monday night was a good showcase of how he can be effective.

The Knicks will look to end this brutal losing streak on Wednesday when they welcome Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.